Rafael Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup, Alex Corretja expresses alarm

Former Spanish player Alex Corretja has stated that he was ‘surprised’ and ‘alarmed’ after hearing the news about former world number one Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the Laver Cup. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past. It is because of this reason he ended up missing three out of four Grand Slams in 2023. During that time, Nadal announced that the 2024 season would be his last. The former world number one returned to the court earlier this year but has continued to struggle with fitness concerns.

His last appearance was in the Paris Olympics. During that mega-event, the 22-time Grand Slam winner announced that he would not take part in the US Open in order to be prepared for the Laver Cup. However, on Thursday, Nadal announced that he was not fit enough to take part in the two-team and thus decided to withdraw from the competition.

Former world number two Corretja was recently quoted in a report where he stated that he was ‘surprised’ and ‘alarmed’ after hearing the news of his fellow countryman’s withdrawal from the mega-event. The 50-year-old, who is a two-time French Open runner-up, stated that he was surprised to see Nadal deciding to withdraw from a rather ‘relaxed competition’.

“I was really surprised because I thought the Laver Cup was a more relaxed competition, although once they’re there, the teams always want to win, but you can play singles or doubles, it can be adapted more to what you need," he said. “When I read yesterday that he wasn’t going to compete, I was a little alarmed: if he’s not ready to compete in the Laver Cup, when will he be? I hope he recovers or when he feels he’s fit again, he’ll go back to where he thinks is appropriate.”